Spirit that is Not Afraid

A lot of the vets I've worked with have not brought up cat weights until they are very much obese because a lot of owners are like "my cat isn't fat he's big boned!" so they don't bother much beyond "Please don't let him/her gain more weight than this"

I did say "average" which is not the same as "all". These weights are from 10 years at a cat only hospital and nearly 10 years at a shelter.

Yes, being overweight is actually quite bad for cats resulting in early arthritis and significantly increasing their risks of diabetes.

Mallorn, before I put him on a diet. How many people would honestly be able to say this cat was actually overweight and needed to lose 4 pounds? Not many.

And to show how hard weight gain and loss can be to determine on a long haired cat

13 pounds Tumbleweed

~ 11 pound tumbleweed.

His initial weight gain was 30% of his ideal (10#). 11 pounds is a 15% total loss from 13 pounds, and 20% of his ideal weight.

Those are significant amounts. Imagine gaining 30% of your current body weight. Imagine losing 15% of your current body weight.

You can't tell just by looking.

To help keep my clowder fit and trim, I really love using a Body Score Chart; because visually, you can tell with some cats, (especially the leaner, lighter boned Abyssinian or Bengals), but most you wont be able to eyeball a cat and tell if its skinny, fat, or just right. And its honestly impossible with a fluffy cat to tell, just by looking, where they sit weight wise.

You want to put your hands on them, feel their bodies, and honestly judge - or if you worry you might be biased, have a friend or your vet help you - whether you can feel the ribs (the knuckles along the back of your flat hand should be a good indicator for what the ribs should feel like), can see a waist tuck, or feel between their legs for minimal (think tablespoon size) of fat padding on their bellies.

As Tales says in another post, always go to your vet if you have concerns about your cats weight. Cut back their food too much, too quickly, and they can get really, really sick. No one wants that. Always work with a vet when it comes to nutrition and diet, always consult your vet first if you believe that there is a medical issue with your pet.

And if you believe your vet is not listening to your concerns about your pets weight, you can go for a second opinion with another vet. That is perfectly allowed too.

Royal Canin has a great chart to help you (see below) or you can google for the Purina or Royal Canin body score charts yourself. You want the charts that have 9 scores on them, as that will help you narrow down even cats who might seem good but could lose maybe a few hundred grams or more.

And for dog owners, there are absolutely Body Score charts for dogs - just be aware that with dogs, breed REALLY matters and you ABSOLUTELY should work with your vet on what an appropriate weight looks like for your dog. What a Great Dane looks like at an appropriate weight will differ to a greyhound and a bulldog.

The basics of: waist visible, should be able to feel the ribs, and a visible tuck all stay the same as with cats through.

The video is here and if you're struggling with making a decision about your beloved pet I can't recommend it enough. No quality of life worksheet, no other resource helped me as much as this video did.

It's a deeply compassionate but clear-headed, calm, and balanced look at the whole picture of caring for an animal in the end stages of life, how to decide it's the right time to let go, and how to make the overall experience just a little gentler.